Gather my strength all my passion ablaze
by Willofhounds
Summary: After the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father Newt's accidental magic transports him to the Rainbow forest forcing him into his animagus form. With time his physical wounds heal but the mental scars left behind make him mistrustful.
1. Chapter 1

A/N thanks for everyone's support to all my fics. I would like to thank evening rose for the art that she is providing art.

Newt's POV

Even at his young age he knew he was different from other children. His body temperature sense was off when it came to people. Nobody but Theseus felt warm to him.

Everytime his parents would reach for him he would flinch away. Their coldness was the strongest he felt even with new people. It scared him because he didn't know why they felt that way.

He didn't know when it started but his father began striking him. The flinches became more apparent. The coldness no longer the reason. He was afraid of being hit.

One day his father took it too far. Theseus had just left for school and Newt was practically mute. He would barely make any sounds for fear of being hit.

Newt had been beaten so badly he couldn't move. His magic sensing his panic at the sounds of his father's return sent him away. To try and save his life it changed him into his animagus form.

Newt who had been studying the magical creatures knew that he was a niji. They were small creatures that tended to be short, round and plump. They usually had straight horns and small wings on their backs.

His form was long and skinny. His horns had a slight curve to them. The body ached from his injuries and his magic was desperately trying to save him.

The place he was brought to was warm in ways he had never felt before. A gentle breeze ruffled his fur and magic of the land entertwined with his. With the help of the land's magic his wounds healed.

A pack of nijis had been nearby and to his surprise they were warm. It was the most warmth he had felt in his life. Humans were never as warm as the nijis. Even Theseus couldn't compare. With them he felt safe.

The niji helped him heal and encouraged him to learn the ways of the forest. Their forest spanned several miles but they kept to the inner parts. Niji were small creatures and beyond being able to fly and hide they didn't have any natural defenses.

Newt's magic would protect him from the other creatures of the forest but being different meant he drew more attention. The other nijis began to slowly drift away from him one by one. The only one staying was a small niji.

It was the smallest of them all and never seemed to grow. Its heart was the bigger of them all. When the others left him behind because of the attention he drew this little one stayed.

Together they would travel through the forest avoiding the wolves that wanted to eat them. Berries were their food sources.

The forest swiftly became a home for the young human child turned niji. He slowly began to heal mentally from the fear and pain he had suffered. Here it was eat and run to survive. There wasn't scary humans to be afraid of. Until there was.

Newt and the young niji were picking berries again by the lake. Both of their heads shot up when they heard the sound of footsteps. It was much too large to be any of the creatures that inhabited the forest.

Newt sat up on his back legs looking over the bush they were gathering from. A new feeling of warmth washed over him.

A blue haired man in a white button down shirt and black slacks. The warmth followed him as he gingerly moved around the bushes. Almost as if he cared if he stepped on something. Newt didn't believe it. Humans didn't care what they hurt. He was living proof of it.

Nijis were coming out of their hiding places. They were curious about the intruder. Even his only friend went to see the man.

Karoku's POV

Having left with his mastery from his apprenticeship with Flamel he went to the Rainbow forest. Freshly named a master he wanted to travel the world. His apprenticeship only lasted three years but he still wanted to see more things.

The Rainbow forest was said to have many different kinds of creatures. Some said that the creatures had empath like abilities. He wanted to observe them.

Carefully the young man stepped around the bushes. Little creatures moved around his feet. They made excited squeaks as he carefully came into a clearing.

When he stepped out he realized how perfect it was. A rainbow was over the head of the trees on the other side of the clearing. The bright blue sky showed only a handful of clouds. This was somewhere he could live if he wanted to.

Karoku smiled gently as small rabbit like creatures came out of the bushes. They were pink in color with small straight horns. They were plump little creatures that had small wings on their backs. He wondered slightly if they were able to fly.

Then he glanced at the berry bush by the otherside edge. There was another niji watching him not in curiosity like the others but in suspicion. It was a white in color instead of the pink that the others were. The niji was tall and lean other tdd than short and plump. It had bright blue eyes while the others had red eyes.

Karoku sat in the grass as the niji scattered unsure of his intentions. Then slowly they returned more curious than ever. The smallest pushed through the pack of nijis and climbed up his pant leg.

It struggled for a long moment before Karoku took pity on the little one. He cupped his hand around the little niji and picked him up. The tiny wings beat almost lifting the little one off his hands. Then after a moment it settled.

Its red eyes held curiosity in them. They were warm and welcoming. The eyes weren't the only thing warm about the little niji. His body was far warmer than he expected. It was like a small fire in his hands.

Karoku said running a finger through its fur, "You're so warm little one. What is your secret?"

It gave a little chirp that was slightly deeper than the others. He realized that this little niji must be male. It rubbed its little head into the palm of his hand.

When he looked up he noticed the thinner niji was watching him from the clearing edge. It was obvious that it didn't trust him. Why it didn't run away he didnt understand.

Until the little one began to squirm in his hands. The little one left his hands and Karoku let him. It ran over to the lean one and chirped at it. The lean one shook its head before going into the forest. His little friend looked back at Karoku forlornly before following.


	2. Karoku part 1

Newt's POV

Every day for the next two weeks he and the other nijis came across the human. While the others approached the warm man he stayed away. Even his little friend couldn't stay away.

The light blue haired man continually watched him however. There was something in his eyes as he watched Newt. Almost like he was curious about the boy turned niji.

In the last few days there were less niji than normal. Something had been out hunting and killing them. Newt only came out of the safe area because his friend wanted to see the man.

It was just before sunrise and they were slowly making their way through the forest. Around them things had just begun to lighten. It still felt cold and dark around them. The feeling set Newt on edge.

His little friend was bounding around in front of him. While Newt typically found his antics entertaining there was a sense of dread he couldn't shake.

A shadow moved just in front of them. It was too large to be another niji. At the same time to small to be the human.

Newt rushed forward using his stronger body to knock the little niji out of the way. Fangs enclosed around his body as he did so. They bit into his skin and crushing his tiny bones.

His magic lashed out at the creature as he tried to struggle. Then he was suddenly dropped and the beast yelped in pain.

His first look at it was a grey wolf. It looked sick and starving. Much like how Newt was before he came to the forest.

Newt couldn't stand but his magic continued to lash out until the wolf left. Blood pooled in the ground underneath him. His once white fur was nearly the same shade of pink as the other nijis.

His little friend moved towards Newt. Red eyes held worry in them as he tried to help Newt to his feet. It brought only more pain with each movement.

He whimpered and his magic tried to lash out. His little friend moved back watching him carefully. Then he ran off in the direction they had been heading.

The pain sent him to into the darkness. His last thoughts were for his little friend. There was hope that he would stay safe. Then he knew no more.

Karoku's POV

Having set up a small house using magic in a small clearing he was finally settling in. The niji forest was a calm place that he liked. All of the niji welcome him readily. All but one of them.

The tall skinny niji was still cautious and wary around him. Even when others approached he would stay back just inside the clearing.

As he stepped out that morning he noticed the lack of nijis around his home. They came just before dawn and would leave just before dusk. It was unusual for them not to be waiting on him.

Movement on the far corner of the clearing drew his attention. A little niji appeared out of the shrubs. It didn't have the usual curiosity in its eyes. Instead there was true fear and desperation in its eyes.

Upon seeing him it hurried over and grabbed at his his pants leg. It pulled on his leg desperately trying to get him to come. In all his time studying the creatures he had never seen one act like this.

He said gently pulling the little one away from his leg, "Easy there. Now what's got you so riled up?"

As his hand came away it was stained red. Immediately he kneeled down to check the niji over. It made a frustrated noise at him before pulling at his pants leg again.

That's when he recognized the little niji. It was smaller than the others and this was the one that stayed with the long one. The only niji who would not approach him.

Karoku's eyes widened as his head shot up to look for the other. It was not in the clearing and it never left its little friend alone alone for long. He has the sudden suspicion on where the blood came from.

Quietly he ordered, "Show me little one."

The little niji didn't hesitate and Karoku quickly followed. Not far from his home there was a small animal trail.

On the ground bleeding was the long niji. Its normally white fur was drenched in blood making it look similar to the appearance for his little friend.

Karoku could see deep puncture wounds that littered the niji's body. If he had to guess a wolf grabbed it around the middle trying to kill it. He drew his wand and carefully ran a diagnostic charm on the little one.

To his surprise it came back with only minor internal injuries. The worst the poor thing faced was blood loss and infection.

That wasn't the most surprising thing however. The niji wasn't in fact a niji at all but a wizard. A young animagus stuck in his animal form.

If not for his time at the research lab he would not have known about this charm. It checked for everything from the simplest infection to the magical core of a creature. That was if the creature had one.

Casting a simple cleaning charm followed by a healing charm he fixed the damage done. It was a good thing the little niji came to get him. Otherwise the animagus would have died.

Now that he knew that the long niji was in fact human it explained a lot of its mannerisms. The mistrust of him when all the other nijis wanted to be close to him. The ever watchful eye he kept over the younger one.

Carefully he scooped up the animagus. The little niji that led the way was already climbing up his pants leg. It seemed that these two were inseparable. It made him wonder just how long the animagus had been in his animal form. He knew the spell to change them back if he was stuck.

Once the little niji was atop his shoulder he made his way back to his house. For the first time since coming to the forest he allowed one of its creatures inside.

The little niji stayed perched on his shoulder as he grabbed a towel from his bathroom. Karoku wrapped the healing niji on the fluffy white towel before carefully rubbing him down.

It didn't take long for the white towel to turn pink and then red with blood. With gentle precision he got all the blood out of the animagi's fur.

Then every so gently he double checked for any wounds he might have missed. Thankfully there were none and the animagus was resting peacefully on the towel.

After putting the bloody towel in the hamper he grabbed a clean blanket. It would keep the young animagus warm until he awoke. Then they would find out why the person was hiding in this particular form. For now all he could do was wait.


	3. Karoku part 2

Newt's POV

When he woke the first thing he noticed was that the pain was gone. Someone had healed him. There was no way his magic could have healed him before something decided to make him a meal.

The next thing that Newt noticed was that he was laying on something soft. It wasn't the forest floor and it wasn't the bed he once slept on when he was still a human child. Definitely a human-made bed but of lower quality than

A gentle warm hand ran through his fur. The touch was so light it could have been that of a ghost. Not expecting it Newt tried to scramble away. Only to fall off of the bed he was laying on.

Warm hands caught him before he hit the ground. A chuckle escaped the one holding him.

"I'm not going to hurt you little one," came a warm voice. It was familiar he knew it could only be one person. The man that had been staying here.

It explained the warmth that he felt. This man was warm to him despite Newt not trusting him. His mind began to put the dots together. This man healed him despite having no reason to. Leaving him to die would have been easier.

The man continued, "I know you are a human little one. A wizard to be exact. Now that you are awake and healed I will return you to your human form."

That had Newt struggling to get out of the man's hands. The man gripped him gently but firmly. There was no escaping the ironclad grip.

His warm voice tried to soothe Newt, "It's okay. This won't hurt. You cannot stay in this form forever. If you try it will change your physical appearance."

Newt flinched a dark wood wand was pointed at him. The warm man said as magic washed over him, "Animalis e converso."

His body began to grow and length. It didn't hurt but neither was it comfortable.

When the magic stopped a red-haired boy lay in the man's arms. His clothes that he had been wearing when he changed into his animagus form. The pants barely reached halfway down his calf when they were full length. It wasn't tight by any means. His weight had increased very little if at all in the last two years.

Newt threw himself away from the man. His little niji friend jumped from the man into his arm. It rubbed its head against the side of his neck. Newt leaned slightly into the comfort.

Even though he wasn't really a niji this one accepted him for who he was. He didn't want to be human. That only brought pain and suffering.

"You're just a child," came the man's surprised voice, "I thought you were just a wizard who was stuck in his animagus form. What's your name?"

Newt opened his mouth then closed it again. Speaking only brought pain. He wouldn't say anything and hope that this man didn't beat him.

"Can you hear me?"

Newt nodded. Realization flashed through the light blue eyes. The man raised a hand and Newt flinched away.

The man lowered his hand looking at Newt sadly. He said gently, "My name is Karoku. I will not hurt you."

Karoku... there was a gentleness about this man. Newt wanted to believe him but at the same time experience told him not to. Maybe with time.

Karoku's POV

A year passed since he met the boy known as Newt. In the year that they shared the house, he had come to realize that Newt couldn't or wouldn't speak.

Karoku taught him sign language patiently. For weeks every movement he made caused the poor boy to flinch. He wouldn't even eat without the little niji checking it.

Someone had been very unkind to Newt. If Karoku ever found them they would find out the true meaning of pain. He was part of a research lab and learned how to cause if needed.

The little niji he ended up naming Nai. Testing the little one's blood came back showing that its DNA was moldable. If he was careful he could use magic and science together. Nai could become human.

A year later and he had the potion ready. Newt had helped him make it with an air of curiosity. Karoku answered all his reluctant questions. Teach Newt sign language had been good practice for him.

Karoku found that Newt had a talent for creatures. He had gone looking for the young boy when he disappeared in the afternoon. At the time Karoku wanted to know if he wanted to help with a potion.

He found Newt by one of the trees playing with bowtuckles. The creatures loved him in a way Karoku hadn't seen before. Instead of working on the potion he spent over an hour watching Newt. The gentle look on the boy's face was refreshing. He had never seen such a happy look on the boy's face before.

Karoku was drawn from his thoughts when his alarm went off. He went over to the bubbling blood-red potion. Carefully he put rat spleens in and stirred counterclockwise. It went blood red to a maroon color.

With expert precision, he began to fill vials. If his calculations were right one vial would be enough for Nai.

A tug on his shirt caused him to turn around. Newt signed: Karoku, are you okay?:

Karoku smiled gently as he replied, "I'm okay, Newt. Today is the big day. With this potion, Nai will become human. Are you excited?"

Newt nodded his head. Green eyes sparkled with excitement. Nai was his first friend and even being together there was still loneliness about him. That was what made Karoku want to try to make him human.

Along with teaching Newt sign language, he was teaching the young boy to read. His interest in learning was apparent at the very beginning. Newt wanted to learn all he could and being mute wasn't going to stop him.

A tug on his pants alerted him to Nai's arrival. It was the moment of truth. Either the potion would work or it wouldn't. There was no definitive way to test it without one of the other nijis. Unsurprisingly they all returned to their normal lives once there was more than one human.

Picking up Nai with one hand he held out the vial and explained, "Nai, in this vial is a potion that will make you like us. Make it so that you look human. Newt here wants a friend that is the same size as him. However, it's up to you if you want to do this."

Like most creatures, nijis were extremely intelligent. Most understood human speech and Nai was no different.

For a long moment, the small niji considered him. Then ever so slightly it nodded.

A/N translations.

1\. Animal reverse.


	4. Circus part 1

Newt's POV

Ten years later

The streets were loud and filled with more people than Newt had ever seen. It was within this crowd just moments before that Newt had lost Nai. They had been separated when someone had bumped into Newt.

Now he was desperately trying to find the one he considered his brother. Nai looked to be fifteen or sixteen in human year. His mind was more like six or seven.

Nai was a niji made human through Karoku's experiment. Karoku taught them how to read, write, math, and history. His unbiased opinions allowed them to see the whole story rather than just pieces.

Until three months ago when the man just disappeared. It wasnt until three days after he left that Newt and Nai went looking for him. They found a trail of blood and a bracelet with three gems on it. But no Karoku.

After another two days, they decided to leave the forest. Together he and Nai went to the cities looking for Karoku without luck. Now Newt was alone in a strange city.

Cold feeling people pushed past him causing the boy to flinch. His senses were heightened from his time in the forest as well as his time as a niji. Every part of him screamed to run and return to the forest. At this point though he wasnt even sure if he could find his way back.

Nai had led him to this area as if following something only he could see. Newt's bond with Karoku was on another level than Nai's. The blue-haired man had formed a more emotional bond than a physical.

Karoku always thought it was his empathic ability. They bonded when Newt finally accepted help. There was a connection that was always in the back of his mind. He could feel Karoku's emotions. They were small things at first but as time passed the bond grew stronger. Distance didnt seem to matter with the bond. Karoku was always there and it didnt scare him.

Then he was gone. When Karoku disappeared he would get faint impressions. Then when they had gone silent. Karoku was there in the back of his mind. Just there wasnt any emotions. It scared him to think that the other was hurt somewhere and they couldn't find him.

Suddenly he was shoved into the building closest to him by an ice-cold body. Newt flinched as his shoulder hit brick. A pained whine escaped him.

A gentle hand pulled him away from the wall. At first, he tried to pull away but then he noticed that it was warm. A smile crossed his face as he turned to face the person.

A bright, look crossed his features. Only for it to fall when he finds a black-haired man standing just over six feet tall with blue eyes. He wore a black tuxedo with a black tie. Glasses sat on his nose as he smiled at Newt.

The smile was gentle like Karoku's smile. He was warm and Newt couldn't help but step towards the man. Trying to feel the warmth rather than the coldness that was all around them.

It was only after seeing the lips moving that he realized that the man was speaking, "...are you okay? Do you need help?"

Newt signed, 'I'm sorry. I was looking for someone.'

Blue eyes widened behind the glasses. Then the man signed back, 'Are you mute? Deaf? Do you need help finding the person?'

'I'm mute. Always have been.' He snapped back angrily.

The man gave him a small smile before asking, "Is there someone here that I can return you to?"

Newt shook his head as he replied, 'No sir. I'm sure he will find me soon. I'll wait for him here."

The man cocked his head to the side like a curious animal. It was much like the nijis of the forest when they were inspecting something new. Still, he stepped back and away from the man.

Warm or not he didn't know this man and could not trust him. As he was when he first met Karoku he was mistrustful of the man in front of him.

A hand reached out for him and the man's jacket sleeve pulled back. It revealed a bracelet with one medium-sized red crystal in the middle with two smaller blue crystals. It was slightly different from the one that Nai was wearing but it was close enough. This man had to know where Karoku was!

When Newt grabbed the man's forearm he froze. It was the first contact he had made willingly. So far he was reluctant for any contact with the man.

When he went to touch the bracelet the man pulled away. He inquired carefully, "What's wrong, child?"

'Your bracelet! What is it from? Do you know Karoku? Where is he?'

Surprise crossed the man's face. Then it became closed off rather than the openness it was before. It made Newt step back in fear. Maybe this man wasnt a friend of Karoku's.

The man questioned, "Did you not hear me earlier? I am Captain Hirato of Circus. These bracelets are id bracelets."

'Circus? Like with the animals?' He questioned curiously.

Karoku had explained the concept to him and Nai. He had warned that not all circus' were good. Some abused animals.

That made his blood boil in anger at the thought. He had been abused by his father and that was how he ended up with Karoku. Newt didnt even know if his older brother was alive. Any abuse made him feel murderous and ready to kill any abuser. Whether they abused humans or animals it didnt matter. Those that abused deserved a fate worse than death.

Hirato blinked in surprise. The coldness that had seeped over the man was gone. A laugh escaped Hirato and Newt cocked his head to the side.

Hirato replied with a shake of his head, "No child. I am part of the National Defense Group. The group is officially called Circus to make the civilians feel better. We protect the world from creatures that you will probably never see. What about my id bracelet interests you?"

'Karoku had one,' he signed, 'Nai has it now. Do you know where Karoku is?'

Hirato shook his head as he said, "Currently there is no one with the name Karoku in Circus. To check our complete records I would need to be on the airship. Come with me and we will see if we cant find your friend."

Newt shook his head fear clear in the green eyes. No, he wouldn't be going anywhere with this man. Not without Nai.

Newt's magic reacted to his emotions and Hirato was thrown away from his. The man's head cracked loudly against the far wall. Newt didnt even wait to see what happened.


End file.
